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The Indian Government plans to build a new highway connecting Katra with New Delhi. The route will be some 600km long, running through Punjab, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir. A consultant is being selected to carry out a feasibility study for the project. The project will cost in the order of US$2.25 billion and will be of importance as Katra is where the Vaishno Devi holy shrine is located. The new link will reduce travel time on the route from 11-12 hours at present to five-six hours when the work is complete

Trimble is expanding with the acquisition of Norwegian firm Vianova Systems. The move brings Trimble additional capabilities in BIM, a key technology area. The financial terms were not disclosed. Vianova Systems is a pioneer in the development of software leveraging advanced BIM technology for the civil engineering market and infrastructure lifecycle management across infrastructure design. The company offers a portfolio of solutions for civil engineers, civil contractors and project owners. These solutions

A major road network improvement programme is planned for Ethiopia. For the 2015/2016 financial year, the country aims to build and maintain over 14,000km of roads. The programme is being managed by the Ethiopian Road Construction Corporation (ERCC). At present the firm is carrying out a series of road construction and maintenance works costing some US$313.5 million.

Sri Lanka plans to construct a new bridge that will improve transport connections to capital Colombo. The six lane bridge will span the Kelani River. It will be built parallel to the existing Kelani Bridge (Japan Friendship Bridge) and help cut congestion on this important travel route. The project is expected to cost US$335.6 million. The bridge will feature an elevated approach road and the project also includes the construction of interchanges linking the Colombo-Katunayake Expressway (CKE), Baseline Roa

Mexico’s Secretariat of Communications and Transport (SCT) is preparing two tenders for new road projects. These will be carried out under the PPP model. The contracts include the road linking Queretaro and San Luis Potosi, and Coatzacoalcos, in Veracruz, and Villahermosa, in Tabasco. The SCT is expected to complete tenders for a total of 52 highways. In addition SCT will carry out tenders for 80 road projects. Of these 80 road projects, 60 will be for widening and upgrading work while 20 will be for new ro

Drilling work on the Eurasia Tunnel connecting Istanbul's European and Asian sides has been completed. Total length of the tunnel will be 5.4km, of which 3.3km will run under the sea. At its deepest point, the tunnel will be around 106m deep, according to a report by Hurriyet newspaper. Completion of the whole project is expected in the first quarter of 2017. The cost of the project amounts to some US$1.2 billion, of which $960 million has come from investment banks. Upon completion, the tunnel wil

Strabag consortium has signed a contract for construction of a 15.2km section of the A1 motorway between Wozniki and Pyrzowice. Completion of the section that will connect Pyrzowice with Czestochowa is due by the end of 2018. It is the first of four contracts signed for construction of the motorway. Strabag’s offer is believed to be around €144 million, while the budget set by the General Directorate for National Roads and Motorways (GDDKiA), was set just over €200 million. Meanwhile, the S6 dual car

The Ecuadorian city of Cuenca, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is in discussions with contractors for construction of a 50km ring road. The city – whose full name is Santa Ana de los cuatro ríos de Cuenca - is the capital of the highland Azuay province and around 2,500m above sea level. It has a population of around 400,000 rising to 700,000 in the larger metro area. Ecuadorian media reports put the cost of the road at around US$600 million. The initiative will be financed by the private sector and the winn

Tunisia’s minister for infrastructure and housing, Mohamed Salah Arfaoui, has announced that the Sfax-Gabès and Oued Zarga-BouSalem motorways will be operational in summer 2016. On a visit to Médenine, he announced that other motorways would be commissioned by 2018, bringing the total network to 1,000km. Tunisia is expected to put out to tender the Kairouan-Sousse motorway this month, according to a report in March by Tunis Afrique Press. Arfaoui said at the time that the the Kairouan-Sousse motorway

China is offering an interest-free US$130 million loan to Pakistan for construction of the Gwadar East Bay Expressway in the southwest port of Gwadar. The proposed 19km expressway will connect the Gwadar Port with the Mekran Coastal Highway, passing along the east bay of Gwadar City. The loan is part of a wider financing deal whereby China has a converted $225.5 million loan for the Gwadar International Airport into a loan. Work on the highway is expected to start in November for completion at the

Michelin has invested in the Chinese start-up company Luli Information Technology, based in Shanghai. Luli was set up in 2014 to develop applications for vehicle ride-sharing services in China, and created the app Lu You Tong Xing Michelin said its investment, through the French global tyre maker’s Incubator programme, will help Luli develop more products in a market where ride-sharing is growing in popularity. Jean-Claude Zhang, chief executive of Luli Information Technology said Michelin’s investme

In Slovakia work on three sections of the D1 highway will be complete shortly. One of these is for a 9km section of the D1 from Janovce -Jablonov, which is built by the Czech firm Bogl and Krysl. A 9.5km section of the D1 from Janovce -Jablonov is being built by Eurovia and will be ready at the end of 2015. The 11.2km section of the D1 from Fricovce - Svinia is being built a consortium comprising Strabag and Doprastav and is scheduled for completion in October 2015. The 10.4km section of the R2 route from P